Demetrious Johnson

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Lore & Background

Born in Kentucky, Johnson grew up in Parkland, Washington, where he attended Washington High School and was a stand-out athlete in wrestling, track, and cross country. In 2004, his junior year, he qualified for the state wrestling tournament placing 2nd at 119lbs. In 2005, his senior year, he placed 3rd at 119lbs. He also competed at state championships in track and cross country. Johnson received scholarship offers for wrestling but did not want to leave his family, so he attended Pierce College for two years while working. He began training in MMA as a hobby, continuing for two years before being invited to AMC Pankration, where he met MMA pioneer Matt Hume, who had been scouting Johnson and organized the event where Johnson made his MMA debut. He started as an amateur in 2006, winning via first-round knockout, and finished with a 9–0 amateur record. After his professional debut, he fought at the Alaska Fighting Championships in Anchorage and won via head kick KO, earning a deal with the WEC. He made his WEC debut at bantamweight against Brad Pickett on April 24, 2010, at WEC 48 in Sacramento, losing via unanimous decision. Joe Rogan predicted during the fight that if the WEC implemented a flyweight division, Johnson would be highly effective. Johnson later defeated Nick Pace via unanimous decision at WEC 51, handing Pace his first MMA loss, and submitted Damacio Page via guillotine choke in the third round at WEC 52, saying afterward, 'He was basically drowning, and I was the shark that came up and got him from underneath.'

Reader's Guide

Johnson's significance is built on his dominance as the inaugural UFC Flyweight Champion. He won the title by defeating Joseph Benavidez via split decision on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. Over his reign, he defended the belt 11 consecutive times, tying Anderson Silva for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history in April 2017. His defenses included a unanimous decision over John Dodson (earning Fight of the Night), a fifth-round armbar submission of John Moraga (his first Submission of the Night), a first-round knockout of Joseph Benavidez (first to stop Benavidez, earning Knockout of the Night), a unanimous decision over Ali Bagautinov (who later tested positive for EPO), a second-round kimura submission of Chris Cariaso (first kimura to end a UFC title bout), a fifth-round armbar of Kyoji Horiguchi at 4:59 (latest finish in UFC history, earning Performance of the Night), a unanimous decision over John Dodson in a rematch, a first-round TKO of Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo (earning Performance of the Night), a unanimous decision over Tim Elliott (who took Johnson down for the first time as a flyweight), and a third-round armbar of Wilson Reis (earning Performance of the Night). Johnson holds the record for most consecutive wins in UFC flyweight history with 13. At 125 pounds, he only lost a single bout, a controversial split decision to Henry Cejudo, whom he knocked out in their other bout. He also held titles and notable ranked wins at 135 pounds, though he picked up 3 losses in that division. On March 28, 2026, Johnson and family attended UFC Fight Night 271 as he was announced to join the Modern Wing of UFC Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Johnson's first UFC win came against Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126 via unanimous decision.
• Despite breaking his fibula early in the second round from a checked leg kick, Johnson won a unanimous decision over Miguel Torres at UFC 130.
• Johnson's fight against Ian McCall on March 3, 2012, was the first flyweight bout in UFC history; it was initially announced as a majority decision win for Johnson but later corrected to a majority draw.
• Johnson won an ESPY Award for Fighter of The Year in July 2017.
• Johnson submitted Kyoji Horiguchi at 4:59 of the fifth round at UFC 186, the latest finish in UFC history.